Ventile

Ventile is a high-quality woven cotton fabric first developed by scientists at the Shirley Institute in Manchester U.K. during the Second World War, for use in pilots' immersion suits. Ventile has developed a reputation as both waterproof and windproof. It is hardly found in the United States, but in Europe, especially in the UK, has seen a revival with the bushcraft movement. It is popular with birdwatchers and naturalists because ventile, unlike synthetic fabrics such as Gore-Tex, it produces almost no noise when in use. It is very popular among survivalist and bushcrafters in the European forests because of its strong resistance to tearing and fire. It is also widely used in polar expeditions, while artificial fibers are the preference among mountaineers. Ventile fabrics are also known under the name EtaProof. An American company Wiggy's, well known for its quality sleeping bags and cold weather clothing, uses imported British Ventile fabrics in the manufacture of a few of its garments, as well as the British company http://west-winds.co.uk which is a sister company of Snugpak.